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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — the amount
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. root — of a plant
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. root — the cause
  15. band — a ring
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bat — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bore — to drill
  23. root — of a word
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com